The Munich Conference: Peace in Our Time?

Weston Lucas, Jack Limpert

Senior Division

Group Website
Topic Selection

The Munich Conference of 1938 was the diplomatic event that sparked a second

world war. The decision to give the Sudetenland to Hitler would have consequences that

would affect the entire world, which is why we chose the Munich Conference as our

topic. We share a mutual interest in World War II and the events that led up to the start of

the war, so we wanted to take a closer look at how appeasement, a diplomatic tool used

by England and France, was utilized and why.

Research Process

To begin our research, we gathered broad information about the Munich

Conference and those involved from internet resources. We used the Google search

engine, as well as others, to extract basic information about the subject from websites and

online books. We went to local libraries to find more specific secondary and primary

resources and information, such as “Chamberlain and Appeasement” and “Munich 1938”.

We visited the British Archives online to retrieve other primary sources, such as copies of

the agreements made at Munich, British cabinet papers, and others. Our goal was to

expose the British policy of appeasement, yet understand why it was used. This was

accomplished by getting resources that look at historical context and accounts recorded

by British cabinet members.

Project Development

We decided that the best way to communicate our research of the Munich

Conference was to construct a website. We registered our website through NHD and

Weebly. We separated our website pages into six sections to explain the story of the
conference. We used the gathered research related to each section to explain the different

aspects of our topic. We experimented with different ideas for our website and used

samples provided on the NHD website until we told our story in an organized way that fit

the criteria for NHD.

Relation to Theme

During the late summer of 1938, Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler met

several times in Germany to discuss the current situation in Europe. The Munich

Conference relates to this year’s theme Debate and Diplomacy because of the

negotiations and agreements signed at the Munich Conference that changed

Czechoslovakia and the world forever. Chamberlain was desperate to avoid a war in

Europe, and Hitler was not ready to use military force to accomplish his goal of undoing

the Treaty of Versailles, turned to diplomacy. They met at a conference in Munich,

without the presence of Czechoslovakia. Chamberlain agreed to give Hitler the

Sudetenland. This included five million Czech citizens and an abundance of natural

resources. Hitler promised that he would make no more territorial demands in Europe

after the Czechoslovakian problem was solved. Chamberlain was hailed as the bringer of

peace by the English people, declaring “Peace in our time.” The Munich Conference is a

prime example of just how crucial diplomacy is. Today, the Munich Conference is looked

at as a lasting example of appeasement, a warning to all nations that appeasement of a

dictator or nation can only have harmful consequences.

 Annotated Bibliography

Secondary Sources

Bennett, William J. America: the Last Best Hope. Nashville, TN: Nelson Current, 2006.
Print.

We used this source because it gives a historian's point of view of the Munich Conference
and also the consequences of the agreement.

Chen, Peter. World War II Database: Your WW2 History Reference Destination. Web.
01 Jan. 2011. <http://ww2db.com/>.

This website gives the dates leading up to the Munich Conference.

Faber, David. Munich, 1938: Appeasement and World War II. New York: Simon &
Schuster, 2009. Print.

This book gave us an overview of the conference and those involved. Also it gives
historical context of the Munich Conference.

Famous Quotes, Famous Quotations & Sayings, Great Quotes. Web. 01 Jan. 2011.
<http://www.allgreatquotes.com/>.

We used this website for quotes made by Hitler and Chamberlain relating to the
diplomatic actions taken during the Munich Conference.

"Hitler's Foreign Policy." Home Page. Web. 01 Jan. 2011.

<http://www.historyhome.co.uk/>.

This website gave dates and events leading up to the Conference as well as Hitler's
actions after the conference.

Loyola University New Orleans. Web. 01 Jan. 2011. <http://www.loyno.edu/>.

This website gave us the views and perspectives of the English people before and after
the conference.

Museum of World War II, Natick, Massachusetts, Main Page. Web. 01 Jan. 2011.
<http://www.museumofworldwarii.com/>.

We used this website for a historian's view as well as pictures and quotes.

Parker, Robert Alexander Clarke. Chamberlain and Appeasement: British Policy and the
Coming of the Second World War. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Macmillan,
1993. Print.
This book gave us an in depth description of the events leading up to the Munich
Conference.

Spartacus Educational - Home Page. Web. 01 Jan. 2011.

<http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/>.

This website gave us broad overview of the Munich Conference as well as other's
opinions of appeasement.

"20th Century Europe." Your History Annex: Your Personal Place to Experience History.
Web. 01 Jan. 2011. <http://historyannex.com/20th-century-Europe/index.html>.

This website gave us events leading up to as well as the consequences of the Munich
Conference and Hitler's actions afterwards.

Primary Sources

Chamberlain, Hitler, Daladier, Mussolini, and Ciano at the Munich Conference. SHD 11
December 2010 <http://www.cheminsdememoire.gouv.fr>. Picture.

This picture was taken at the Munich Conference while it was taking place. We used this
picture to show who was at the conference. It is also a part of our title.

Chamberlain’s Speech. 15 January 2011 <http://www.toytowngermany.com>. Picture.

This picture was taken during Chamberlain’s speech after Munich. We used this picture
as our title on our website.

The Dawes Plan. Photograph. Web. 27 Jan. 2011. <geschichteinchronologie.ch>.

This picture helps to explain the Dawes plan, which was created to help European
countries to get out of debt.

"Declaration of Peace at Munich." The Times [London] Sept. 1938. Web. 27 Feb. 2011.

We used this newspaper page to show the reactions of the world to the Conference, as
well as Chamberlain's speech upon arrival home. This shows just how desperate people
were for peace at the time.

Drawing Up The Treaty of Versailles. 1919. Photograph. Web. 27 Jan. 2011.

<ww2worldwar2.com>.

This is a picture of the drafting of the Treaty of Versailles. We used this picture to show
the importance of World War I coming to an end.
Dresden. Photograph. Web. 27 Jan. 2011. <cityofsound.com>. This is a picture of
Dresden after WWI bombings. We used this picture to show the destruction of WWI.

Eden, Anthony. Facing the Dictators; the Memoirs of Anthony Eden, Earl of Avon.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1962. Print.

This book gave us a foreign minister's first person point of view of appeasement towards
Hitler. We used this information to get different perspectives of appeasement.

German Troops Enter the Rhineland. Photograph. Web. 27 Jan. 2011.

<forum.paradoxplaza.com>.

This gives us a visual of Hitler reoccupying the Rhineland and violating the Treaty of
Versailles.

Great Britain. Foreign Office. Agreement Concluded at Munich, September 29, 1938.
Print.

This is a copy of the final document that the four European powers agreed to at Munich.

Great Britain. Foreign Office. CONCLUSIONS of a Meeting of the Cabinet Held a

Munich. Print.

We used this document to give us an in depth description of the conference and the
decisions made.

Great Britain. Foreign Office. Further Documents Respecting Czechoslovakia, including

the Agreement Concluded at Munich on September 29, 1938. London: H.M.S.O, 1938.
Print.

We used this document to show what the terms and decisions that were made at the
conference.

Hitler and Mussolini. Photograph. Web. 27 Jan. 2011. <jspivey.wikispaces.com>.

This is a picture of Hitler and Mussolini together. We used this to show the close ties
between the two dictators.

Hitler Becomes Chancellor. Photograph. Web. 27 Jan. 2011. <dipity.com>.

We used this picture in our timeline to give a visual of the day Hitler became Chancellor.

Invasion of Czechoslovakia. Photograph. Web. 27 Jan. 2011. <grossmanproject.net>.

We used this picture to show the German invasion of Czechoslovakia. We used this to
help explain the immediate consequences of the decisions made at the Munich
Conference.

Invasion of Poland. Photograph. Web. 27 Jan. 2011. <euronet.nl>.

We used this picture of the invasion in our timeline to mark the start of WWII.

Locarno Pact. 1929. Photograph. Web. 27 Jan. 2011. <xtimeline.com>.

This is a picture of the drafting of the Locarno Pact.

The Munich Agreement 1938. Web. 27 Jan. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=gjgGo1nKPsI>.

This video is a historian’s overview of the conference.

Munich Agreement. Web. 27 Jan. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=JTPw0iKDJN8>.

This is a video of Chamberlain’s homecoming speech after the Munich Conference.

Map of Czechoslovakia. 7 November 2010 <http://www.humboldt.edu>. Picture.

We used this picture to show where the Sudetenland was located and what areas were
occupied by Germans.

Peace Restored. 1919. Photograph. Web. 27 Jan. 2011. <ecommunity.uml.edu>.

We used this news paper article to show the worlds reaction to the Treaty of Versailles

The War Guilt Clause. Photograph. Oct. 2010. Web. 27 Jan. 2011. <http://to-the-manner-
born.blogspot.com>.

This was an excerpt from the Treaty of Versailles that Germany was forced to sign. We
used it to show the actual document on our website.

The Spanish Civil War. Photograph. Web. 27 Jan. 2011. <gmtgames.com>.

This is a poster from the Spanish Civil War. We used it in our timeline because of its
importance of the alliance of Hitler and Mussolini.

Versailles Train Car. 1919. Photograph. Web. 27 Jan. 2011. <net.lib.byu.edu>.

This is a picture of the train car in which the Treaty of Versailles was signed. We used
this picture because of its significance.

Yad Veshem. Chamberlain Arrives for the Munich Conference. 22 December 2010
<http://www1.yadvashem.org>. Picture.

WWII Casualties. Photograph. Web. 27 Jan. 2011. <history.howstuffworks.com>.

We used this picture to show the destruction and loss of life during WWII